Data migration software, after a successful cloud migration

For many users, the data center cloud migration provides a first and last exposure to data migration software. This is because in many IT departments, cloud migration is a one-time event before moving on to more strategic activities.

Paradoxically, this might be why many IT teams struggle with the management of data in the cloud. Before a cloud migration, many DBAs spend half their time copying databases in tedious manual processes with fragile home-grown scripts. Once in the cloud, demands for data arise much more quickly because the project infrastructure is now readily available.

What is the role of data migration software after a cloud migration?

Migrations are constant

Database migrations in the form of ad hoc copies are occurring nearly constantly in operations. Organizations make 10-13 copies of enterprise databases to support test/dev, reporting, and big data analytics projects in the cloud. Once made, copies grow legs and end up all over the enterprise, across many department infrastructures. Adding to the problem, static copies need frequent updating to produce useful and relevant results.

Data migration software is one of the most important tools to the DBA in ongoing cloud operations. This is true because in the cloud, DBAs are freed from many of the routine tasks of on-prem infrastructure. Many organizations are asking DBAs to understand their organization’s value propositions and basic operations. Further, DBA responsibilities are growing to include data modeling, data security, and performance monitoring. Data migration software enables the DBA’s expanding mission: provide the correct data, at the appropriate times, while protecting regulated data.

Data synchronization

Griddable data migration software automatically and continuously synchronizes data on-demand across heterogeneous combinations of clouds and databases. Griddable synchronizes in real-time, resulting in a grid of consistent databases. Each database provides a customized dataset appropriate to its use case.

Using Griddable, the role of data migration software expands to manage dynamic topologies of heterogeneous databases. Griddable end points are pluggable, so topologies grow and change on the fly fitting the cloud environment. Further, individual topologies can combine to create hyper-connected grids.

During cloud migration, one-to-many topologies drive modernization of legacy databases into combinations of cloud first SQL, NoSQL and warehouse services. After cloud migration is complete, topologies still possess transformative power. Topologies can create several copies of core data simultaneously for different partners, with different partitions in each copy. Or, they update both operational data and data lakes at the same time. Finally, they can update local copies in several geographies around the world simultaneously for country sales organizations.

Using Griddable.io, operation teams can complete schema upgrades and database version changes simultaneously. Griddable policies automate repetitive, manual steps and unify the stages of data migration into a single cohesive, integrated process.

Data filtering

Griddable data migration software enables continuous, selective data filtering to the row and column level. Even better, Griddable performs data selection and filtering at several stages in the data pipeline. Cloud teams can synchronize operational databases to several simultaneous innovation or analytics projects, avoiding copy sprawl and stale data copies. Each precisely-crafted target database contains only the rows, columns, and tables, intended for that target. More exciting, target datasets defined using tags of live data can change dynamically with new tag definitions.

Using Griddable selective filtering and synchronization, cloud operators can accelerate movement of key data to best-fit cloud platforms. Platform and service choices continue well after cloud migration because cloud prices constantly fluctuate. When business units make independent cloud purchases, operations teams need to replicate data to virtually any heterogeneous cloud target on-demand.

Data protection

It goes without saying, security concerns continue in the cloud. Cloud-based DBAs need to classify data according to the required privilege and access model. Then, they need to enforce these classifications as data moves around the enterprise.

Again, Griddable data migration software contributes more than data migration. Griddable masks or encrypts any number of individual data elements using separate algorithms or encryption keys. Griddable also filters and replaces data values, or selectively removes entire rows or columns with an easily-defined JSON policy. Users create Griddable policies directly with a text editor or a graphical schema browser.

Next step

Use the “Live demo” button at the top of this page to see Griddable data migration software in action.